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By 2030, the world's energy needs are expected to
be 50 per cent greater than today. At the same time,
scientists are calling for a 25 per cent reduction in
greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 to avoid serious changes
in the Earth's climate system. Reconciling these demands
while simultaneously adapting to the impacts of climate
change is one of the fundamental challenges of the 21st
century. - I.I.S.D.
BCSEA is helping British Columbia become
a world leader in the use of sustainable energy.
We are a non-profit association of citizens, professionals
and practitioners, committed to promoting the understanding,
development, and adoption of sustainable energy and energy
conservation and efficiency in British Columbia.
Our Vision: A future in which all
of BC’s energy comes from clean, renewable, efficient
sources.
Our Mission: To facilitate the transition
to a sustainable energy future through education, advocacy
and tangible community projects.
Our Purposes:
- To help British Columbia become a world leader in the
generation and use of sustainable energy;
- To promote the understanding and use of sustainable energy
to the people of British Columbia, for electricity, transportation,
industry, and all other uses;
- To provide a forum through which members can meet, share
ideas, and develop joint initiatives, supported by up-to-date
information and technical research;
- To establish and support local chapters in regions across
BC, so that members can organize in their local communities,
initiating projects and policies that help us make this
essential transition;
- To speak with a strong collective voice to municipal,
provincial and federal governments and other agencies on
issues concerning the development of clean, renewable, efficient
energy in BC, and the reduction of British Columbia’s
greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants;
- To provide a one-stop resource for information on B.C.’s
sustainable energy industry and initiatives.
What is Sustainable Energy?
Sustainability is a condition of existence which enables
the present generation of humans and other species to enjoy
social well-being, a vibrant economy and a healthy environment,
and to experience fulfillment, beauty and joy, without compromising
the ability of future generations of humans and other species
to enjoy the same.
Sustainable energy is any source or application of energy
which meets the energy needs of the present without compromising
the ability of future generations of humans and other species
to enjoy social wellbeing, a vibrant economy, and a healthy
environment.
This includes energy from the following:
Some of these energy sources, in particular biomass, hydro
and tidal, can have a variety of environmental and other impacts
that may make them unsustainable depending on the local circumstances.
In order to encourage the transition towards a sustainable
energy economy, several energy management policies need also
to be implemented:
- Energy conservation, and improved efficiency of use;
- Safe, reliable and appropriately sited transmission;
- Sustainably managed energy storage;
- Transport demand management (TDM), as well as transit,
LRT, ride- and car-sharing, cycling and walking;
- Smart growth and smart urban infill, for future housing
settlements.
Sustainable energy excludes energy from fossil fuels (coal,
oil, gas, & coalbed methane), garbage incineration, nuclear
fission, nuclear fusion and large hydroelectric dams.
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Board of Directors
BCSEA is governed by a Board of Directors, elected by its
membership on an annual basis.
Visit our Directors page
Guy Dauncey - President, Victoria
Tom Hackney - Vice-President &
Treasurer, Victoria
Scott Sinclair - Vice-President,
Vancouver
Jay Armstrong, Vancouver
Colleen Brown, Vancouver
Romilly Cavanaugh, Vancouver
Naomi Devine, Victoria
Eric Doherty, Vancouver
Gunther Honold, Victoria
Chris Mott, Vancouver
Daphne Nederhorst, Vancouver
Graig Pearen, Prince George
Kevin Pegg, Victoria
Angela Reid, Kelowna
John Stonier, Vancouver
Mary Sturgeon, Vancouver
Honorary Directors
Amory Lovins, CEO Research, Rocky Mountain Institute, Colorado
Bill Eggertson, Exec Director, Canadian Association for
Renewable Energies
Briony Penn, Author and broadcaster, Salt Spring Island
Deb Abbey, Founder of Real Assets
Eric Smiley, Project Leader, Photovoltaics, BCIT Technology
Centre
Joe van Belleghem, Co-founder Canada Green Building Council
Simon Whitfield, Triathlon Olympic Gold Medallist, Victoria
Professor William E. Rees, Community & Regional Planning,
UBC
Our Coordinator
We currently employ the services of a part-time coordinator
and a rely on a small group of contractors for other professional
services.
Peter Ronald, our provincial coordinator, has extensive campaign
and project management experience gained in the private, public
and NGO sectors over the past two decades. Peter co-founded
the Environment News Service, the world's first independent
environmental newswire, in 1989. In the early 1990s he coordinated
the BC Wild Campaign Centre, a key asset in the successful
effort to dramatically expand BC's network of protected wilderness
areas. He worked in government for several years providing
research, analysis and strategic planning. He returned to
full-time conservation work with the Georgia Strait Alliance
campaigning to protect the ocean's biodiversity. He was a
founding director and active campaigner with the GSX Concerned
Citizens Coalition, successfully turning back BC Hydro's natural
gas strategy for Vancouver Island. In his local community
of Victoria, he serves on the board and executive of the Fairfield
Community Association.
You can reach Peter directly through our contact
page or by phone at (250) 744-2720.
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Achievements
During its first four years of activity, the BC Sustainable
Energy Association has:
- Established our website www.bcsea.org and associated electronic
communication channels, attracting over 100,000 unique visits
and more than a million total page views. The site contains
detailed educational content, including technology specific
information, facilitating web-accessible content for the
public to learn about and engage with these issues and technologies.
- Launched SolarBC, a solar hot water acceleration project,
which facilitated the installation of solar domestic hot
water systems by attracting government and other funding.
The project worked with the solar hot water industry to
refine industry standards, train and certify installers.
See www.solarbc.org
- Formed the 100,000 Solar Roofs Initiative and Task Team,
a partnership of provincial and municipal governments, utilities
and energy companies, working together to plan for the rapid
deployment of solar thermal and photovoltaic systems in
British Columbia.
- Developed the Climate Change Game & Showdown, a successful
middle school education project, which has now been presented
to over 5,000 students in the school classrooms across Greater
Vancouver and Nelson. This program will expand this year
to Vancouver Island.
- Organized the 2005 Wind Summit in Vancouver, with European
and Californian presenters and attended by over 50 key stakeholders,
to familiarize industry and government decision-makers with
the policies that are successfully animating wind and other
clean energy technologies in these regions.
- Organized the 2006 Solar Summit in Vancouver attended
by expert international presenters and many key stakeholders
and decision-makers, to familiarize them with "solar
roof" initiatives around the world. The Summit included
Community Action, Plumbing Inspector's Training and Solar
Hot Water Homeowners workshops in Vancouver and Victoria,
and a Solar Systems Tour.
- Produced Sustainable Energy Policies for BC, a 32-page
detailed document that outlines the policies that can accelerate
the take-up of sustainable technologies in BC.
- Submitted Sustainable Energy Solutions for BC to the Premier's
Alternative Energy and Power Task Force, showing how BC
could produce 84,000 GWh of green energy within 30 years
from a firm commitment to embrace sustainable energy technologies,
generating over 400,000 jobs.
- Met with senior staff at BC Hydro, Ministry of Energy,
Mines and Petroleum Resources, Ministry of Environment and
with representatives of federal and provincial political
parties, municipal councillors and staff, to present policies
and program suggestions designed to accelerate the deployment
of sustainable energy technologies in BC.
- Provided detailed expert evidence at various BCUC reviews
of BC Hydro plans, addressing policies and practices that
will promote sustainable energy technologies and greater
energy efficiency.
- Participated in two United Nations Climate Change Conferences,
in Montreal and in Nairobi, Kenya, contributing constructively
in the international dialogue planning response to climate
change.
- Established positive relations with over 50 governmental,
non-governmental, business, and educational organizations,
with a view to advancing the sustainable energy technologies
in BC.
- Published ten issues of our quarterly newsletter, The
Joule, read by our members and the public via our website,
and delivered monthly updates to our members via our email
Watt's Happening.
- Launched and convened three Energy Solutions Teleworkshops
featuring international experts on specific renewable energy
technologies and topics participated in by over 150 people.
- Delivered over 50 public presentations on sustainable
energy technologies and climate change in Victoria, Duncan,
Nanaimo, Qualicum, Parksville, Courtenay, Campbell River,
Cortes Island, Nelson, Prince George, Dawson Creek, Kelowna,
Kamloops, Abbotsford and Vancouver.
- Hosted educational fieldtrips including visits to:
- Brentwood College ocean thermal energy facility used
to heat their Arts Building;
- Solar PV and microhydro installations on Salt Spring
Island;
- An off-the-grid self-sufficient home on Wise Island,
near
- Galiano Island;
- Solar Hot Water and Net Metered Solar PV Installations
in Vancouver;
- A Wastewater Treatment Facility in Prince George;
- Eco-Sense, a solar grid-intertie, net-metered, passive
solar heated, cob home in Victoria.
- Organized educational booth displays with volunteer staff
at: Vancouver Folk Music Festival (2006 & 2007); Vancouver
Home and Garden Show (2006); Prince George Home Show (2006);
Victoria Spring Home Show (2006), EPIC (2007) and many other
events in communities across BC.
- Gained extensive media exposure via news releases, news
conferences, numerous print articles (newspapers and magazines)
and radio and television interviews, including regular guest
appearances on CBC Radio.
- Developed an internal organizational and financial system
that is able to meet the challenge of multiple activities,
almost all of which are carried out by volunteers.
Here is a summary of some of the accomplishments of our eight
regional chapters:
- The South Peace Chapter has organized and participated
in forums on climate change, wind energy and coal.
- The Kamloops Chapter meets regularly with speakers and
films, invented the Climate Change Game for use in schools
to familiarize students with the science of climate change
and the sustainable energy technologies, and organized that
city's first Energy Fair, a successful clean energy trade
show.
- The Central Interior Chapter holds regular meetings with
speakers, organized a tour of Prince George's Lansdowne
Road wastewater treatment facility and biomass generation
project, held a Biodiesel Workshop, and participated in
public events educating the public about sustainable energy.
- The Okanagan Chapter has held regular monthly meetings
with speakers, hosted David Suzuki on his recent cross-Canada
tour, and participated in the Mayor's Environmental Expo
in Kelowna, bringing demonstrations and explanations of
sustainable energy to a diverse audience.
- The Vancouver Chapter has held regular monthly meetings
with speakers, organized a public symposium called Climate
Change: The Greatest Show on Earth, participated in numerous
shows and exhibits promoting sustainable energy.
- The Victoria Chapter meets monthly, organized two events
under the banner Sustainable Energy Now! attracting more
than 2,000 visitors, arranged public viewings of educational
videos about global energy issues, and organized a well-attended
town hall-style Energy Forum with Victoria MP, David Anderson,
and other speakers.
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Primary Goals for 2007/8
Our goals for this year include:
Build strong relationships with the major energy players
in BC;
Build our membership to 1,000 members;
Strengthen our 7 existing Chapters, and launch 1 new one;
Strengthen our organizational and financial base;
Deliver on our Climate Change Game program goals;
Plan the next phase of SolarBC - 100,000 Solar Roofs;
Continue to publish The Joule and Watt's Happening, and
to build our website;
Maintain a vibrant, positive, solutions-oriented attitude
in all that we do.
Other Long-term Goals
- Maintain coordinator, support staff and project leaders
as needed.
- Raise the finances to pay for our activities and projects.
- Work with our members, and with the Independent Power
Producers of BC, the Community Energy Association, SmartGrowth
BC, BEST, the Sierra Club and other partners to develop
policies, standards and regulations that will advance the
progress of sustainable energy in BC.
- Work with our members and others to persuade the BC government,
BC Hydro, the BC Utilities Commission, BC Transit, BC Ferries,
Via Rail, CN, local and regional governments, and other
agencies to implement policies and standards which will
encourage the use of sustainable energy, instead of fossil
fuels.
- Develop a strong media presence for sustainable energy
in BC
- Develop a marketing campaign to encourage the increased
use of sustainable energy
- Produce a web-based directory of members
- Facilitate contact and networking between our members
- Establish an Internet-based Sustainable Energy Ideas
Bank, where members can float new proposals
- Research and publish up-to-date cost and payback charts
for solar hot water, PV, ground source heat, passive solar
design, heat recovery technologies, biodiesel, and energy
efficiency retrofit options
- Work with other organizations to contribute to the development
of the policies and practices and initiatives regarding
smart growth, sustainable transport, community energy planning,
green buildings, and climate change solutions
- Organize a provincial Conference on Sustainable Energy
- Develop schools materials and presentations on sustainable
energy
Our History
- Fall 2003 - Preparatory work for the founding of BCSEA
- Dec 10, 2003 - First meeting
- January 5th 2004 - BCSEA formally incorporated
as a non-for-profit society
- June 2004 - - BCSEA's Public Launch, and Press
Conference. 100 members
- July 2004 - Launched Sustainable Energy Directory.
150 members
- August 2004 - First meeting of Vancouver Chapter
- August 2004 - First meeting of Kamloops Chapter
- October 2004 - First meeting of Victoria Chapter
- Fall 2004 - Strategic planning sessions
- February 2005 - First meeting of Central Interior
Chapter
- Spring 2005 - Published Sustainable Energy Policies
for British Columbia
- April 2005 - First BCSEA Annual General Meeting in
Victoria
- May 2005 - Cosponsored Nanaimo Renewable Energy
Forum
- June 2005 - Sustainable Energy Now! event at Royal
BC Museum
- June 2005 - Hosted BC Wind Summit in Vancouver
- July 2005 - 500th member
- September 2005 - Launched SolarBC Solar Hot Water
Acceleration Project
- November 2005 - Awarded 2005 Solar Advocate of the
Year by the Canadian Solar Industries Association (CanSIA)
- November 2005 - Sustainable Energy Now! II event
at University Canada West
- November 2005 - Released Sustainable Energy Solutions
for BC
- December 2005 - Attended UN Conference of the Parties
to the Kyoto Protocol in Montreal
- March 2006 - Cosponsored Maximizing Energy Efficiency
and Renewable Energy Conference in Vancouver
- March 2006 - Hosted the BC Solar Summit 2006 in
Vancouver and Victoria
- April 2006 - Delivered Climate Change Special Issue
of TIME Magazine to every federal Member of Parliament
- April 2006 - Nominated for a 2006 VIATeC Technology
Awards in the "Community Involvement" category
- May 2006 - Hosted Elizabeth May speaking on Alberta's
Tar Sands in Victoria and Vancouver
- June 2006 - Sponsored Victoria and Vancouver premieres
of Al Gore's film An Inconvenient Truth
- June 2006 - Second BCSEA Annual General Meeting
in Vancouver
- July 2006 - Made many new friends with a booth at the
Vancouver Folk Music Festival in Jericho Beach Park
- July 2006 - Held 50th meeting of BCSEA Board of Directors
- September 2006 - Hosted Vancouver and Victoria Climate
Action Tour 2006 events
- October 2006 - Exhibited our wares to great acclaim at
the Vancouver Home & Interior Design Show
- October 2006 - Participated in and assisted the annual
conference of the Independent Power Producers of BC
- December 2006 - Comox Valley group becomes a regular
Chapter
- January 2007 - Received Vancity Financial Capacity
grant
- April 2007 - Convened first Sustainable Energy Teleworkshop
- June 2007 - Third BCSEA Annual General Meeting held
in Victoria
- July 2007 - West Kootenay group becomes a regular
Chapter
- September 2007 - Okanagan Chapter becomes a full
Chapter
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Past Meetings
Forming a Local Chapter
As the BC Sustainable Energy Association, we are committed
to serving the whole of BC. To this end, we encourage members
to form local Chapters wherever you live. For a current list
of chapters, see our chapters section.
As soon as there are 10 members in your area, you are invited
to form a Chapter, following BCSEA’s vision, goals and definitions
– but please contact us first, in case someone else is also
planning to start one. We will then send you a Letter of Agreement,
authorizing you to form a Chapter of the BCSEA.
Chapters will be encouraged to support BCSEA’s campaigns,
and to undertake your own local activities, such as:
- Holding monthly meetings with speakers
- Organizing a local Sustainable Energy Tour
- Putting on a biodiesel or electric vehicle demonstration
- Building a touring sustainable energy display
- Building a zero-energy home
- Installing a small wind turbine
- Creating a local Green Energy Directory
- Creating a local Green Building & Architecture Directory
- Forming a car-share cooperative
As a Chapter, we hope that you will keep in close touch with
us, so that we can support you, and share your activities
with our membership. A monthly report, however brief, would
be welcome.
A Chapter does not need to become incorporated, and can exist
without a formal legal structure. We ask that you operate
in a clear, open manner, hold open elections for your Steering
Committee, elect a chair, treasurer, secretary, and members
at large, and keep a proper record of your minutes and accounts,
as if you were a registered non-profit society.
Chapters will be encouraged to send a non-voting representative
to the BCSEA Board meetings, and will be sent the Agendas
and Minutes of our regular Steering Committee meetings, to
encourage participation.
See our Chapters Section for more
information
Funding & Sponsors
BCSEA's funding comes primarily from annual membership fees
and from donations from individuals, businesses, non-profits,
municipalities and other government agencies. Click
here to join or financially support our work.
We also are supported by capacity and project grants provided
by various sponsors, acknowledged
here. We thank our funders, patrons and members for
their generous support!
Click here to become a member
of the BCSEA. Please support our work to help us achieve these
important goals!
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Affiliations
The BC Sustainable Energy Association is an active member
of the following alliances, associations and networks:
Consitution, Bylaws and Guidelines
Constitution & Bylaws
of the British Columbia Sustainable Energy Association
Certificate of Incorporation Number S-47054
(as revised at the Annual General Meeting, Saturday, 23
June 2007)
1. The name of the society is British Columbia Sustainable
Energy Association.
2. The purposes of the society are:
- To help British Columbia become a world leader in the
use of sustainable energy.
- To promote the use of sustainable energy to the people
of British Columbia.
- To provide a forum through which members can meet, share
ideas, and develop joint initiatives, supported by up-to-date
information and technical research.
- To speak with a strong collective voice to municipal,
provincial and federal governments and other agencies
on issues concerning the development of clean, renewable,
efficient energy in BC, and the reduction of British Columbia's
greenhouse gas emissions.
- To provide one-stop shopping for information on British
Columbia's sustainable energy resources.
The bylaws of the society are available for download and
printing or for online reading:
Bylaws
of the BC Sustainable Energy Association ( PDF
127kb)
BCSEA
Consolidated Guidelines (PDF
203kb)
You will find our definition of sustainable
energy here...
Privacy Policy
The BCSEA is committed to providing our online visitors with
a web site that respects their privacy. For more detailed
information, please see BCSEA's full privacy policy here.
Credits
BCSEA's office space, Internet services, server hardware,
software and wetware generously donated by Kevin Pegg and
EA Energy Alternatives
Ltd.
Website by Dave Shishkoff. Home page and web maintenance
by Erin Carson. Contact
Erin if you have any website-related comments or questions.
Landscape paintings extracted from larger works by Steven
Armstrong, with thanks.
Contact Us
BC Sustainable Energy Association
5 - 4217 Glanford Avenue
Victoria, BC V8Z 4B9 Canada
Tel: 250-744-2720
Email Form
www.bcsea.org
Last Updated: September 20, 2007
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